It is known that business organizations often implement one or more computing systems referred to as enterprise servers, each of which will perform a multitude of essential business services for that organization. For example, an enterprise server implemented by a company that delivers packages may provide package delivery scheduling and address information. Another enterprise server for that same delivery company may provide employee benefit-related information, and yet another may provide email and/or instant messaging communications.
As the mobility of the workforce increases, so does the requirement for mobile employees to have access to a variety of data stored on such enterprise servers, so they may execute their required functions. For example, a truck driver for a package delivery company will require up to date information on his or her (to avoid unnecessary verbiage, the terms “his”, “him” and “he” as used hereinafter should be construed as encompassing both males and females, and is not meant to be in any manner discriminatory) delivery routes, the location of and task(s) required at package pickup stops, and the like. Additionally, it has grown increasingly important for these mobile employees to be able to provide real time data back to their associated enterprise servers as they execute their work tasks, such as real-time package delivery confirmation, requests for routing information, and the like.
The mobile computing and cell phone industries have made available a multitude of different mobile devices, including in particular recent advances in what are commonly referred to as “smartphones”, such as those marketed under the trademarks APPLE IPHONE (and IPOD TOUCH), the BLACKBERRY, the PALM, as well as Windows Mobile devices such as, by way of example only, the SYMBOL MC70 and HTC's TILT. Likewise, computer manufacturers provide small, lightweight mobile computers known as tablets and netbooks, in addition to well known laptop computers. In addition to these general purpose units, other application-specific mobile devices have proliferated. The environments within which the present invention is capable of functioning include any number of existing as well as emerging Web clients such as, without limitation, hypertext markup language (HTML5, for example), environments incorporating “persistence” characteristics which facilitate retention of data structures between program executions, and those employing asynchronous server communications, to name but a few.
Accordingly, there is an increasing need for business organizations to enable their mobile employees to use mobile devices for real-time data exchange with one or more enterprise servers. In particular, there is a need to enable such mobile employees to use one or more of standard, available off-the-shelf mobile devices to interoperate with businesses' enterprise server(s). It is also desired to be able to enroll, provision (configure) and manage such mobile devices in a seamless, efficient manner.